


To tame a Lionheart

by ScarletPrincess



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drabble, F/M, Shallura Week 2017, Werelion, shallura - Freeform, shifting, werelion!shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-28 04:39:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11410395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletPrincess/pseuds/ScarletPrincess
Summary: There is a tale, as old as time, which states that if someone who truly loves and trusts a werelion calls it by its name, it will turn back to its human form.





	To tame a Lionheart

**Author's Note:**

> This is my small participation to Shallura Week 2017.  
> It was inspired by [this post](http://annabellioncourt.tumblr.com/post/72995324233/theres-a-lovely-old-english-myth-that-if-someone)

 

> _There is a tale, as old as time,  
>  __which states that if someone who truly loves and trusts a werelion_ _calls it by its name,  
>  it will turn back to its human form._  

 

He could hear him in his mind, feel his claws scratching at the rim of his consciousness.  
Zarkon was calling him, ordering him to join him, to be one of his. But Shiro knew the Emperor did not need him, nor did he want him to join his army. Zarkon wanted to kill him, to deprive Voltron of its black Paladin and to sever the connection between Shiro and the great Lion. The Black Lion had bonded with the Emperor once and Zarkon wanted it back. He had had a taste of its power, and he craved for more.

Shiro couldn’t fight against the galran. His mind was still weak from the year spent in the Empire’s prison, where he had been but a toy for the druids. So the Black Lion took over in a desperate attempt to protect them both from Zarkon’s assault. Takashi was completely helpless against the beast’s will, unable to stop the transformation, and could only watch as he saw his team look at him with astonishment and horror. He had always been an imposing man, tall and muscular with broad shoulders and a commanding presence, but as a werelion he was even more impressive. Twice the size of a common lion, all black fur and pure strength… he was the apex predator, and he could see, no, _feel_ , fear coursing through his team’s veins and it drove him wild. He had to get away from them, had to put as much distance as possible between him and Allura. He was now a liability to Voltron, a danger to the Princess, and he’d rather die than cause her harm. And so he ran. He ran until the sun became the moon, and the savannah surrounding the castle turned into a forest; he ran until he stumbled upon a cave and hid in its deepest corner where no light could reach him.

Shiro could not say how long he stayed in there, hunting during the night, hiding during the day. The world became a blur of colors and raw sensations as his humanity was slowly devoured by the Lion’s soul. His actions were solely controlled by the beast’s instinct, and he simply let himself get lost in the confines of his own mind until he forgot even his own name.

Yet he remembered her. As soon as he caught her scent, he remembered her: his fierce warrior princess. She was there, standing at the entrance of his den, beautiful and strong, her hair shinning bright under the moonlight. She looked relieved to see him, happy even, and there was no fear in her blue eyes as she took in his feline form, only trust… and something else. Something he was too afraid to name.

He knew he should have run then. He knew he was putting Allura in danger by staying by her side, but he could not bring himself to move. And so he growled and roared, hoping to scare her away, but she wouldn’t leave. Instead, she crouched down until she could look at him in the eyes, and then softly, cautiously, she approached him and extended her hand for him to smell. Her lips formed words that his bestial mind could not comprehend, but still they soothed his soul and tamed his heart. It was as if the sound of her voice had muted the roars in his mind, and that’s when he heard it: his name, whispered like a prayer.

 _Shiro, come back to me.  
_ _Shiro_

It was just five letters, it was just his name; but it was also so much more.  
It was a spell born of the oldest magic, so powerful that it shattered the walls surrounding the remaining pieces of his broken soul. It was like an epiphany: he was free again. Free of Zarkon’s influence and of his own fears. Free to finally embrace the Lion’s soul without falling under its control… It was only when he felt the feline curl up and purr in a corner of his heart that he extended his paw towards Allura and watched as it shifted back to its human form as the tips of her fingers touched his own.


End file.
